Orphan of War
by ChibiQuatre
Summary: Duo/Hilde fic, little mentioning of 3x4 shounen ai, enjoy! ((p.s. reviews reviews every1))


Orphan of War  
By ChibiQuatre(6/15/00)  
  
  
  
Yet another GW disclaimer: well, do you all REALLY want me to write a disclaimer?! We all know that I don't own GW (though God KNOWS I wish I did!). The GW boyz r'nt mine, never were, never will b. They are owned by their respective creators; Sunrise, There...happy!!! ((oh, and any trouble translating the japanese, I'll b happy to help!))  
  
*NOTE: this is a Duo and Hilde fic, from their respective POVs, and takes place after the war is over...it's mushy towards the end, and it's got very little 3x4 in it that refers to my other fic: "A Smile is Worth A Thousand Words."  
  


***  


  
Duo snored loudly.  
  
Veeery loudly.  
  
You'd think a train was passing through or something. God, it was that loud.  
  
Even through the thick walls of the Winner estate, one could hear the boy's loud  
breathing.  
  
See, the war had just ended and most of us didn't have a place to stay, what with  
being has-been soldiers and such. So Quatre invited us...all of us, to reside in  
his luxurious estate for the time being. I and the other pilots kindly accepted.   
  
But I was the 'lucky' one. I got the room next to Duo.  
  
I looked over at the clock. 4:37. Great.   
  
Tomorrow morning, I will kill that boy.  
  
That is, if I can get up tomorrow morning at all.  
  
I was thinking of ways to punish Duo for his disruption when suddenly the  
disruption stopped.  
  
What? After a few more minutes of silence, I decided to check up on the  
American. After all, I wasn't getting any sleep anyways.  
  
I tiptoed out of my room and knocked softly on Duo's door.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
Hearing no response, I turned the doorknob and opened the door a bit. At least  
he keeps his doors unlocked.  
  
"Duo?" I called again, then relaxed. Upon seeing Duo shift positions, I walked  
further into the room and closed the door behind me.  
  
As I reached his bed, I realized that he wasn't awake. Far from it, in fact. He was  
tossing and turning, apparently having a nightmare.  
  
Must be some dream, I thought as I put a hand on Duo's shoulder. He reacted  
quickly in his sleep, flinching violently to my touch.  
  
I withdrew immediately. What was that? What could he be dreaming...  
  
After a long debate with myself over whether or not I should wake Duo, I did. It  
took forever. He's a pretty heavy sleeper. I had to take both shoulders and shake  
him as hard as I could.  
  
He finally woke up.  
  


***  


  
Over and over.   
  
Always the same dream. Wait, iie. Always the same nightmare.  
  
I had encountered it countless times in my sleep, yet every time I would wake  
up, cold and alone and shaking in fear.  
  
Except this time.   
  
When I woke up, I was being shaken vigorously and my shoulders ached.  
  
I opened my eyes halfway and saw Hilde, trying to wake me up.  
  
She was strong when she wanted to be. "Okay, okay!" I protested sleepily. "I'm  
up."  
  
Hilde continued to look down at me, concern tinging her features. "Ne, are you  
okay, Duo? You were having a nightmare."  
  
I sat up and shivered at the mention of the dream, then shrugged it off and put  
on a false smile. "Nah, I'm fine babe. Nothin' that the great Shinigami can't  
handle."  
  
She frowned at me. "Duo," she said softly. "The war is over. There is no more  
Shinigami."  
  
Inside, my heart cracked a little as I knew she was right. Shinigami could handle  
anything. But now that the war was resolved, Shinigami was gone forever, and  
all that was left was plain ol' Duo.  
  
Visibly, I deflated. I know I'm weak, but I didn't care that Hilde saw my weak side.   
  
She was my best friend.  
  
She sat down next to me on the bed and put a comforting hand on my back,  
gently rubbing in a circular pattern. "It's okay Duo."  
  
I sighed. "Iie, Hilde. You were right. Shinigami's dead. He'll never live again."  
  
Hilde looked at me. It was a comfort that even after the war, I would have kind,  
caring friends. "Duo, would you like to tell me about your dream?"  
  


***  


  
I sat back in horror as Duo's tale unfolded.  
  
It had started out when Duo was but a child. He told of being an orphan of war,  
being brought to the Maxwell church after he was caught for his childish  
delinquencies. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen cared for him and the others.  
Eventually, he chose the name Duo, after meeting his first friend, Solo, at the  
church-made-orphanage. Solo and Duo were inseparable.  
  
One day, when Duo's life was finally being knitted together, OZ arrived. The  
heartless mobile suits attacked the colony of L2, eventually striking the Maxwell  
church.   
  
Duo was the only one to survive.  
  
I let out the breath I had been holding as Duo finished his story. He looked up at  
me with tear-filled violet eyes. "And I've been having the same dreams for years  
and years. It torments me, haunting me in my sleep and in my reality. I just wish I  
could've done something."  
  
I felt tears coming to my own eyes. Duo has had such a horrible past. Nobody  
deserves to have their best friend die. His whole 'family,' killed by OZ.  
  
"Demo, it's okay now Duo. The war is over. OZ will never hurt us again."  
  
"No, Hilde. It's not that; lately, the dreams have been changing. Sometimes it'll  
be me, in my Deathscythe, destroying the church. Or it'll be the five of us  
Gundam pilots, leveling my home. But always, it seems like I do the most  
damage."  
  
Tears ran down Duo's face. "I wish I could've done something, anything, to help  
them. I feel like it's all my fault," he wailed.  
  
"Shh, it's okay Duo. It's not your fault. None of it is. If you had done anything  
differently, they would've killed you too."  
  
"Ya, but it's not fair. It's not fair that I escaped death and everyone else didn't. I  
don't want to be Shinigami anymore..." his voice grew hoarse. I wrapped Duo in  
a protective hug and held him securely. He felt just like a small child; he became  
the orphan of war once again.   
  
I wanted to protect him, keep him safe from the world, just as he should have  
been protected before the war. He was right; life wasn't fair. It still isn't.   
  
Duo's crying slowly calmed down as he returned the tight embrace. His last sobs  
racked my body before his breathing slowed; I knew he was asleep.  
  
I gently lay Duo on his back and made my way to the door. I would get him a  
glass of water.  
  
On my way downstairs, I saw Quatre coming up. He had a wide smile on his face  
and seemed to be happy. So happy, in fact, that he almost ran up into me.  
  
"Ne! Quatre, careful will ya?" I chuckled. The Arabian blushed.  
  
"Sorry Hilde," he muttered before continuing to his room at the end of the hall.  
  
Hn, wonder what Quatre was so happy about. I continued downstairs and made  
my way into the kitchen...  
  
And saw Trowa sitting at the table, eyes closed and a tiny smile on his face, a  
glass of water by his side. So THAT'S why Quatre was so happy. I sighed. It was  
about time...who couldn't see that the two were perfect for each other?  
  
Everyone was so happy.  
  
Everyone, except Duo.  
  
I sighed again, this time, walking into the kitchen. Trowa's eyes flickered briefly  
at the sound before he noticed me and his smile vanished. I, in turn, smiled at  
him.  
  
"You know, you two are really cute together." He looked confused, then I saw an  
embarrassed flush crawl up his face.  
  
"Nani?" he said.  
  
Baka. "Don't play fool with me, Trowa Barton. I see the way you and Quatre act  
when you guys are with each other." I'm not as innocent as I act.  
  
He looked down again, that smile threatening to reveal itself again. I could see I  
was really putting the guy in the spotlight. "So," I said, trying to lighten the mood.  
"You gonna drink that water?"  
  
He looked up at me, surprised. "Uh, no. You can have it if you want."  
  
"Thanks." I smiled.  
  
I left him in the kitchen and walked back up the stairs to Duo's room, holding the  
glass in my hands.   
  
I set it on his nightstand and would have left, but Duo grabbed my hand as I  
attempted to walk away. So, the braided boy was awake.   
  


***  


  
Hilde sat down near the edge of the large bed. "Do you feel better now?"  
  
I nodded, still not trusting my voice. I reached out and took the glass, reveling in  
the crystal glass, icy cold against my hot touch.  
  
After gulping the contents of the glass, I found Hilde staring at me in wonder.  
Heh, I always did eat like a pig.   
  
I sat up, much to Hilde's surprise. "You should rest Duo," she reprimanded.  
  
I looked at her and shook my head. "Not after those nightmares, Hilde. Besides,  
you must be tired too. Gomen for keeping you awake."  
  
She laughed in abashment and shook her head. "It's okay Duo. We're friends;  
I'm here for ya. That's what friends do."  
  
On impulse, I hugged Hilde. She gasped a little. I wasn't suspecting anything  
either. I don't even know why I did it.  
  
I just felt like hugging her.  
  


***  


  
I smiled. Duo could be so sweet sometimes. And he needed someone right now.  
More than ever.   
  
More than while the war was still going on, and more than the times when he  
was captured.  
  
And he needed more than a friend.  
  
We stayed in the embrace a little longer before I gave him an extra little  
squeeze. "Duo," I whispered into his ear. "Will you be okay on your own?"  
  
He shivered against me, "Ya Hilde. I'll be fine" I took it as a 'no.'  
  
"Would you like me to stay with you tonight?"  
  
He nodded vigorously. I laughed. "Okay. I'll stay with you tonight, Duo." I'll stay  
with you always.  
  
He sighed in relief and released me from his smothering hold. I lay down on top  
of the covers, but Duo stopped me. "You get under the blankets. I'll sleep on  
top."   
  
A gentleman even when he was in times of need.  
  
I got up and dragged another blanket out from the closet, throwing it to Duo. He  
stood up to catch it. Duo was wearing a pair of red silk pajamas that Quatre  
thought looked good on him.  
  
I returned and lay down under the covers next to Duo. In a mere minute, the boy  
had fallen asleep.  
  
I stayed awake a while longer. Duo was completely relaxed in his sleep. No  
snoring, no nightmares, but just for security measures, I held his hand. Nearing  
daybreak, Duo even smiled.  
  
I looked at his face as he turned towards me, still dreaming. He looked exactly  
like a 5-year old. The rising sun made his skin seem slightly translucent and  
glowing with life.  
  
I beamed at him and looked at the clock. 6:29. I didn't get any sleep after all, but  
I'm just as happy. I thought back to the events of the night. Nightmares, Quatre,  
Trowa, dreams...this entire night seemed like a dream now that she thought back  
on it. The tragic story of Duo's past.  
  
Yet Duo was so happy. She never would have imagined that Duo was an orphan  
of war.  
  
Demo, iie...  
  
He had everything. He had won the war, kept his life, found wonderful friends...  
  
And now he had me.   
  
Duo was no longer the orphan of war.   
  
  
~OWARI~  
  
  
  
Well, whatcha all think? I decided to write a fic of Duo and Hilde (in opposed to yaoi) cuz I think they make a cute couple, ne? Want more? Rate and review!  
  
ChibiQuatre @ tigerlily6c@aol.com


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